Leonardo (2021) s01e05 Episode Script

1
[theme music playing]
[Leonardo sighs]
Open it to the page I marked.
Tell me what you see.
It's a list of ingredients.
To make "composition of death".
The poison from which you saved Ludovico.
The same poison used to murder
Caterina da Cremona.
[scoffs]
Oh, you think this is funny?
I think it's absurd.
You deny poisoning her?
Mmm, I do.
Why, then, didn't you give her
the same antidote you gave Il Moro?
I lacked the necessary ingredients.
Tell me what they are.
We'll search your studio.
If it's true you didn't have them,
it will add credibility to your story.
I don't recall the names.
Leonardo, every witness I've spoken to
believes you're guilty.
Do you wish to hang?
You told me how much Caterina da Cremona
meant to you.
I told you she was love.
Yet you're accused of killing her,
simply because she burnt
some of your work.
That is the most credible part
of the accusation.
That you killed love itself
for destroying mere ink on paper?
Some daubs of paint on wood?
You doubt I would spill blood for my art.
But I already have.
[man] And now, gentlemen, our next speaker
on the topic this evening,
Leonardo da Vinci.
What is the most noble endeavour
mankind can pursue?
[shuddered breaths]
[straining]
Others have made the case
for the study of plants,
the design and engineering
of man-made structures,
the understanding of complex machines
the kind of which
the world has never seen before.
[Beatrice grunts in pain]
Very good, Madonna.
Another push, please.
I'm with you, my darling.
I'm here now.
Don't leave me. Don't leave me.
But only one endeavour
combines these disciplines
to make something
magical.
Only art
can take the pain
and suffering of our lives
and turn it into beauty.
[screaming]
Something is wrong!
[Beatrice groans]
Do something, damn you!
[Leonardo] Beauty.
Great beauty is a truth that echoes
through the centuries, defying time,
giving the artist and his patron
a kind of immortality.
And that, gentlemen,
is why art is the noblest endeavour.
Maestro.
- Come, quickly.
- What is it?
Just come.
Your Grace.
Yes. Uh Come. Come.
The
child is gone.
But my wife
You must bring her back.
Like you did me.
Your Excellency, the poison
only briefly stopped your heart.
There is no potion, no medicine,
that can restore life
once life has been taken away.
No.
[sobbing] No, that cannot be.
Do something.
I assure you, Your Excellency,
if there was anything I could do,
anything at all, I
[crying]
[door opens]
It's about time.
Leonardo.
What's wrong?
[knocking on door]
[Tommaso] Leonardo?
[knocking continues]
- Leonardo.
- What?
- It's the bronze.
- What about it?
They're taking it all.
All the bronze for the horse.
- They're taking it?
- Yes.
- [Leonardo] What is the meaning of this?
- He says it's been confiscated.
- On whose authority?
- The Duke's.
That bronze is for the statue
he commissioned.
Not any more, it's not.
I'm sorry, Leonardo.
The French are threatening towns nearby.
We have to cast cannons
to defend ourselves.
No, no, please. Tell them to stop.
At least until I've spoken to Il Moro.
It'll mean all the work we've done
has been wasted!
Perhaps you should have
used the bronze when you got it.
Instead of dawdling.
Where is the Duke?
Il Moro is grieving.
But I advise you not to disturb him.
Where is he?
Leonardo. He's been here all night.
Your Excellency? Sorry to disturb you.
Sanseverino, he's taking all the bronze.
Yes, I know.
But he can't do this.
He can't?
He works for me.
Do you mean to say
I can't?
This statue is to honour your family.
I've been working on it for a long time.
And do you think I don't know that?
[shouting] You trespass on my grief!
Look into my eyes, Leonardo.
What do you see?
I see pain.
I will never again hear
my sweet wife's voice.
I will never feel
the softness of her touch.
Have you ever borne such a loss?
Do you know what it is
to live with such a wound?
I will honour my family.
But in a different way.
Come.
The entire convent is to become
a mausoleum for my beloved Beatrice.
Bramante will redesign
the dome and the crossing, and you
You will paint this.
What?
[Ludovico] A fresco.
Our Lord's final night with the apostles,
before death came.
Your Excellency, um
I don't know how to work in fresco.
Then you will learn.
[breathing heavily]
[crying]
[knocking on door]
Thank you for coming, Father.
He's in his room upstairs.
He hasn't eaten
or spoken to anyone in days.
I understand his disappointment,
but the fresco could be
an even more important commission.
Well, he's refusing to accept it.
If he doesn't take this commission,
it's not just the statue he's lost.
It's his place in this city.
And ours.
[sighs]
It's not just about him, you know?
[knocking on door]
Come in.
[door closes]
Maestro, I'm Friar Luca Pacioli,
from the court.
I know who you are, Father Luca.
I read your books on mathematics.
They're inspired.
Your friends think you are in need
of spiritual guidance.
I am beyond consolation.
No one is beyond the love of Christ.
I've devoted myself to a folly.
And now I am commanded
to begin another. I
I am a toy for His Excellency's pleasure.
It's a kind of living hell.
You cannot find beauty or truth
in the story of the Last Supper?
You heard my address.
I was quite persuaded by it.
I have no desire to search for truth
in this subject.
Then you must find it in yourself.
What is your truth, Leonardo?
My truth?
As a man, not as an artist.
What is the thread that runs through
the tapestry of your life?
Betrayal.
Betrayal by whom?
My mother, my father, as a child.
[horse neighing]
Papa! Papa!
[Leonardo] By a man I trusted
when I came to Milan.
And now Il Moro.
And do you not think
Jesus suffered betrayal also?
He'll see you now.
Thank you.
Tell Giulio to order wood
for the scaffolding.
I want Marco to get pigments
from the convent at San Giusto alle Mura.
- Then we get to work?
- We've wasted enough time.
- Where are you going?
- Research.
- [Tommaso] Where?
- The market.
The apostles will need faces, won't they?
[Leonardo] "Dearest Caterina,
I send this letter to Florence
not knowing if it will reach you,
or whether you'll read it if it does.
I am desperate to know how you are,
and I never should have
let you leave in anger.
Your absence has torn a hole in my heart
that cannot be mended.
So I seek consolation in my work.
I spend day after day in the market,
seeking to find truth
in the faces I see there.
I've been given a last chance
to create a masterpiece."
[indistinct]
"After all I've lost, I must seize it."
[inaudible]
"I don't expect you to understand,
but I hope, in time, you will forgive.
Yours, Leonardo."
[sighs]
[Tommaso] This is not
how a fresco is painted.
How would you know?
Verrocchio never taught us the technique.
Precisely.
I am not suited for fast work
like you are.
But that is the only way
a fresco can be painted.
It was, until now.
On a fresco, the plaster is damp.
Which means we can only paint
a small section each day
before the work has to be completed
and the plaster dries.
- Just so.
- Well, this is a new type of fresco!
One that will allow us more time.
Leonardo
People have painted frescos the same way
for hundreds of years.
- This is impossible.
- Would you stop saying it's impossible!
All right.
Listen, I'm sorry.
This method not only allows us
to work more carefully,
but it ensures that the fresco
retains its true colours for longer.
It sounds excellent.
- Inspired.
- [Leonardo] It is.
And what is this method?
So, we apply our special kind of tempera
onto a dry wall
and after it dries,
we're able to paint another layer.
And another, and another.
We can do this maybe five or six times.
This is something we couldn't do
with a traditional fresco.
All right, then. If you say so.
But it's not if I say so, is it?
I need you all to use your minds
to ensure this works.
[groans]
[sighs]
You know, loyalty doesn't just mean
agreeing with him.
Sometimes it means telling him the truth
when no one else will.
Awfully gloomy, aren't you?
So you just smile and nod?
Like everything will be fine?
Better than piling your fears
on top of the weight
that's already on his shoulders.
[in Italian] Girls, listen.
Make another 20 in green
and a dozen in yellow.
Good, go on.
[in English] I beg you, sir, I need a job.
There isn't one.
We've got all the women we need.
- But surely you could use one more?
- No.
- You're wasting my time.
- Please.
Please.
I'll work at half wages.
Please, sir.
Marco says
the pigments have been delivered
to the convent at San Giusto alle Mura.
Thank you.
[Tommaso] Still sketching faces?
Mmm. Just as one selects actors
for a play,
one must select the right faces
to express the temperament
of each of the apostles.
Are you sure you're not doing too much?
What do you mean?
Well, you told me
the Adoration of the Magi failed
because you tried
to cram it full of too many ideas.
Are you sure you're not repeating
the same mistake here?
No.
No, I'm not sure.
You tell everyone we'll start work
at the convent tomorrow.
Of course.
[men speaking indistinctly]
My coins!
They have disappeared from my bag.
Salaì?
Were those your coins?
I found them on the floor
and put them in my pocket for safekeeping.
You really must be more careful, boy.
Let's see.
One, two, three. Anything left? No.
[chuckles]
Salaì, a word.
You have talent.
You could be a great artist.
But if I catch you stealing again,
I'll kick you out on the street
where you came from. Am I clear?
- It's like asking a fish not to swim.
- Mmm.
Will you find another place
for these friars to eat?
Of course.
Friars, please.
Are you with child?
Mind your own business.
This is the vanishing point,
the farthest place in the room
in which Jesus and the apostles
are seated.
The walls in that room extend out from it.
So when people enter and look up,
it will seem as if this room
continues into that one.
That they are, in fact, one.
It will feel as if we are in the room
with Jesus
as he ate his final meal
before the crucifixion.
That will make disciples of us all.
Higher.
Straighten.
What will people think
about the way they are sat?
Well, the placement of the apostles
suggests their relationship to Christ,
while their facial expressions
convey their emotions.
What emotions?
He's talking about
the bread becoming his body, so
No, no, this is a different moment.
This is from the Gospel of John.
So, if you see this triad here,
we see John is leaning away from Jesus
towards Peter
who's whispering in his ear
while Judas here recoils.
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
one of you shall betray me."
I've been to church. Occasionally.
I hope they locked up the silverware.
[snickering]
The moment Jesus reveals
he will be betrayed. Exactly.
Betrayal? Surely Il Moro means this work
to celebrate our Lord.
If the Duke wishes to celebrate our Lord,
let him do so by remembering
Jesus was also a man.
With passions and feelings.
As were the apostles who loved him.
[Marco] Leonardo? Come.
- What is it?
- You'll see. Come.
I'm not sure
this is what the Duke expected.
I think the Duke expected that
Leonardo would exceed his expectations.
- How many of the pigments have they mixed?
- All of them.
[Leonardo] Beautiful.
Do you remember how we used to stare
at the alchemist's closet
at the back of Verrocchio's workshop?
It all seemed so unreachable then.
[Leonardo] Not any more.
Now we have the key to everything.
[Leonardo] "Dearest Caterina,
we were not the only ones celebrating.
Il Moro triumphed in battle
against the French.
It seems he put to good use
those cannons he cast from our bronze.
But yesterday,
while walking in the market,
I witnessed an event
that made my blood run cold."
[horse neighing]
"Despite his victory, Ludovico's grip
on power is not as secure as it seems."
[announcer] Open the gates!
Ludovico Sforza wants to exit.
Let's go!
Death to the tyrant!
[Leonardo]
"Two supporters of the French
made a daring attempt on his life
in broad daylight."
- After him!
- "One of the men escaped,
and looked right into my eyes."
Would you like some wine?
No. I'd rather get some sleep.
So should you.
- Where are the pigments?
- They were right here yesterday.
It's a church. We thought they'd be safe.
Where have they gone?
You don't think I took them.
Who else? Everyone knows you're a thief.
Leonardo, you know
I would never do such a thing.
We're ruined.
- We have to replace them.
- With what?
Do you have any idea
what those pigments cost?
[Tommaso] No, that will take weeks.
If not months.
[sighs]
Leonardo, what do you want to do?
All the men must be laid off.
The work is stopped
until we can replace what we've lost.
[chattering]
Well, if it isn't the pretty boy.
I was getting to think
we'd never see you again, Giacomo.
I certainly hoped I'd never see you again.
That's not kind.
After all the money I made you.
You mean all the money
I made you, Filippo.
Some pigments went missing last night
from Santa Maria delle Grazie.
I might have heard about it.
Whoever took them,
I figured they might end up in your hands.
- [chuckles]
- How much do you want for them?
How much are you willing to pay?
Name your price.
My! You're eager, aren't you?
I might be willing
to recover those paints for you.
But you'll have to work them off in trade.
I don't do that any more.
You don't?
I'm an artist now.
[laughs]
An artist.
Is that what you think?
If you want those paints back,
you'll do exactly what I say.
Huh?
Sleeping on the job?
Oh
Yes, I must have drifted off.
I was in the chapel praying.
I understand your pigments
have gone missing.
A temporary setback.
[tapping bench]
Rumours are circulating at court
that you're in over your head.
Some are taking bets.
What kind of bets?
That you'll never finish it.
Did I frighten you?
Well
A little fear is good for an artist.
I have invested much in you, Leonardo.
And you have given me
very little in return.
I saved your life.
There are times I wonder
if you don't regret that.
Why would you say that?
You had the bronze
to cast that statue for months.
Well, no one has ever
cast a statue of that size.
I've been trying to solve
the technical challenge of it.
Possibly.
Or possibly you were
no longer eager to honour me
after the death of my nephew
and the abrupt departure of your friend,
the lovely Caterina.
I remain fully committed, Your Excellency.
Then prove it.
[sighs]
- [whispers] Leonardo, come. Quickly.
- Mmm?
- Come on.
- What?
How did you get these?
You just need to know who to ask.
Everything's here!
Yes.
Tell the men we return to work
tomorrow morning.
Will do.
- [chuckling]
- Come here!
[Leonardo] "Dearest Caterina,
I feel like I'm drowning without you.
I am driven to complete the fresco
and have been unable to sleep for weeks.
The slightest error has been enough
to send me into a rage."
Oh, no, no, no! Giulio, no!
No, don't start on the hands!
Start on the shirt!
"I felt as if all my life
hanged in the balance.
I have been consumed
by a terrible foreboding."
Good boy.
[Leonardo] "I sense that
I have made some fatal mistake.
And today, I realised I had."
Stop. Everyone stop.
It's wrong.
What's wrong?
The ceiling is too low.
But it's the ceiling you drew.
[Leonardo] I I know I drew it,
but I drew it wrong.
It's too low. If the apostles stood,
they'd bump their heads.
Leonardo, the ceiling may be too low,
but it's a painting.
None of them will stand. It's
It looks fine.
Is that what you think we're here to do?
Make things look fine?
Make them look adequate?
No one will notice.
[shouting] I will notice!
It will torture me
every time I look at it!
Now that I've seen it, I can't unsee it!
Did none of you notice?
No? Nobody?
None of you care?
"I say to you,
one of you shall betray me."
[Leonardo] "Dearest Caterina,
I could no longer face the others.
I felt as if I'd fallen
into a black hole,
my worst fears realised.
The fresco, like the horse,
was yet another folly.
I wanted to be erased, to disappear."
[chattering]
[Giacomo] Well?
We've looked everywhere.
No one's seen him.
He can't have just vanished.
What are we going to do tomorrow?
The men are asking.
[horse whinnying]
[horses galloping]
How did you find me?
There are no secrets in Milan.
At least, not from me.
I'm sorry, Your Lordship.
I haven't completed the fresco yet.
You're afraid.
- You said fear was good for artists.
- I said a little fear.
I made an error.
- If I'm to fix it, it could take weeks.
- [laughing]
Is that all?
Do you know how many times
great men fail before they succeed?
I heard about your speech.
How art invests the artist
and his patron with immortality.
Great art, yes.
I demand nothing less.
For my beloved wife.
And for me.
You don't have much time.
What are you talking about?
My grasp on power is
[scoffs] tenuous.
But the celebration, you
You defeated the French.
The taxes that paid for that victory
have turned the people against me.
Meanwhile, the French have formed
an alliance with the Venetians.
It's only a matter of time
before they strike again.
[Leonardo] Where is everyone?
Leonardo. They're gone.
Send a messenger, get them back now.
Right away.
[breathes deeply]
We begin again.
[groans]
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God!
[Marco] Giulio!
Come and help me with this.
You can't be in here.
[breathes deeply]
What do you think?
[Giulio shouting] Leonardo! Leonardo!
His throat has been cut.
- Who did this?
- French colours.
It's a message,
designed to frighten Sforza loyalists.
They dare not kill Leonardo,
but this is a message for the rest of you.
We're not safe here.
We'll be safe.
How can you say that?
Salaì, inform Sanseverino
we need guards posted outside the convent.
Right away.
- Leonardo, we must
- The work continues.
No one leaves here. You understand?
The work continues.
[people screaming]
- Hyah!
- [grunts]
He's not here.
Then he's at the convent.
Leonardo da Vinci?
- Yes.
- The tyrant Ludovico has fled
and Milan is now under the control
of Louis XII.
He orders me
to cut this fresco from the wall
and bring it to him in France.
You do that, and you will destroy it.
I said he gave me orders,
not that I intend to follow them.
You will remain here
with your men, Ramiro.
Make sure Maestro Leonardo
is free to complete his work undisturbed.
Why are you doing this?
Because I want you to know
to whom you're indebted.
I am Cesare Borgia.
[Tommaso] So, Leonardo,
the painting is safe at last.
- So it seems.
- And that means I can go now.
Tommaso
Caterina knew better.
Leaving you when she did.
- What are you talking about?
- You put our lives in danger.
And for what? For what?
For some paint on a wall?
Marco's dead because of you.
Tommaso, that's not fair.
Of course you defend him. His friend.
The great artist. He said so.
And it's way more
than he's ever said to me.
You said you wanted to create
a masterpiece, and look.
[scoffs] A masterpiece?
I have news for you, Leonardo.
This paint will decay.
Your masterpiece will not survive.
So much for immortality.
Tommaso, I understand you're upset.
But listen to me
You speak of betrayal.
When it's you who's the betrayer.
You're the Judas.
Are you coming?
Let's go.
[Stefano] Tommaso's words cut you.
Because they were true.
You would have killed for your art.
But I did not kill Caterina.
Do you regret painting
The Last Supper?
I regret the sacrifices I demanded.
The pain I inflicted.
But not the fresco itself?
It's only a short walk from here.
You tell me
how I should answer the question.
[door closes]
[breath trembling]